Finding ways to help blacks, Hispanics quit smoking

Once black and Hispanic Americans start smoking, it’s harder for them to quit than white Americans, according to national data. Experts cite possible reasons for this—blacks and Hispanics may have less access to nicotine-replacement therapy and counseling, may work or live in places without smoke-free laws, and may often be around others who smoke.

Blacks and Hispanics may also face high levels of stress, which could make them more likely to reach for cigarettes to get the calming effects of nicotine, said David Williams, who studies racial health disparities at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in a December 3, 2018 Philly.com article. The article highlighted a new study, which Williams is not involved in, that will examine strategies that could help blacks and Hispanics quit.

Williams, Florence Sprague Norman and Laura Smart Norman Professor of Public Health, said that counseling is crucial to help blacks and Hispanics deal with the stress that drives them to smoke. “You’re looking at a population with fewer alternatives to cope,” he said. “That makes it harder for them to give up that aid.”

Read the Philly.com article: Black and Hispanic Americans have a harder time quitting cigarettes. Will this Penn study find a way to help?